The role of acetoacetyl-CoA synthetase, a ketone body-utilizing enzyme, in 3T3-L1 adipocyte differentiation.

Acetoacetyl-CoA synthetase (AACS) is a ketone body-utilizing enzyme that converts acetoacetate to acetoacetyl-CoA in the cytosol and consequently provides acetyl units as the precursors for lipogenesis. To clarify the role of AACS in adipogenesis, we investigated the expression and localization of the AACS protein and the effect of AACS knockdown on 3T3-L1 differentiation. The protein expression of AACS is dramatically induced during 3T3-L1 differentiation and is localized in the cytoplasm of differentiated 3T3-L1 cells. Moreover, knockdown of AACS inhibits differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells and suppresses expression of the adipocyte markers, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α (C/EBPα). These results suggest that AACS has a crucial role in the mechanism of 3T3-L1 differentiation.